JANUARY

This fabulous and hilarious book begins on New Year’s Day with a divine lunch in a restaurant in France. Peter Mayle and his wife have for long been considering to realize their long-cherished dream to move to Provence, where they spent their hot summer holidays. Finally, they bought a charming 200-year-old farmhouse at the base of the Lubéron Mountains, took French lessons and shipped their two dogs from UK.

The secluded and warm place planted with vines, as well as the hospitality of their neighbours (Henriette & Faustin) was enticing them more and more. Neither the unearthly dialect nor the stories about the bone-chilling winter wind Mistral, “which was blamed for every problem in Provence that couldn’t be blamed on the politicians”, couldn’t make them change their minds. They didn’t know that the stories about the wind were true till the day they experienced it firsthand. The wind cracked their pipes, ripped tiles from the roof and tore a window from its hinges.

I would love to experience the winters there in France. It might change my attitude towards winter, in particular the snow because up till now, regardless the aftermaths, I’ve been craving for it. A winter without snow is like a mouth without teeth :). It’s like the song says: “Love and marriage go together like horse and carriage …” And all people just grumble and whinge and I don’t know what else. I like it and I want snow, right now!
“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!”

By the same token, do you know what I find peculiar here in Austria concerning winters? As soon the temperature drops not even below freezing, the heating immediately “gets into top gear” and it gets unbearably hot. Are the Austrians cold people? What is more, instead of “shifting into the first gear”, they /we open the windows, if at all. From my point of view a bit strange.

Besides the wind, bureaucratic mazes weren’t making their life easier. Buying the house was a disaster, let alone a car because “documents are holy things here and deserve respect”. We meet Antoine Massot, who is to become their “personal advisor”.

VOCAB
· Amiable – His parents seem very amiable
· Extenuating circumstances - There were extenuating circumstances and the defendant did not receive a prison sentence.
· Disposition – She has a cheerful disposition.
· Tiles – The wind ripped the tiles from the roof.

In comparison to JI this book is much easier to read and funnier as well. No that JI is not funny, but it is harder to understand Monagan`s humour. Otherwise the topics are almost the same: problems with settling in, bureaucracy. A huge difference is in the peoples “nature”. While the Irish people seem more reserved, the France people are rather outgoing.